Froogle must be saved

We should all be grateful to Google for their recently introduced 'Froogle' service!

For those who are unfamiliar with Froogle, it is essentially a price comparison

site for internet shopping, free to use for consumers and companies alike –

it is fast becoming a major portal for consumers scouring the web for the best

deal.

Possibly the best element of Froogle is the fact that there are no paid inclusions

or adverts (with the exception of the non-inrtusive sponsored links on the side

of the page). The concept is simple, if you're the cheapest

then your at the top!

Due to the nature of Froogle, our website located at www.cavuk.com

is fast becoming a major player in the computer and consumer electronics accessories

market, seeing phenomenal sales rises on items such as the iRiver

H10 20GB simply by being cheaper than most resellers. Also, ancillary items

such as scart leads and

phono leads, usb

cables, and TDK & Verbatim

blank media have become some of our best sellers within weeks of being listed

on Froogle.

Unfortunately, it seems that not all people share the same gratitude. Some

resellers appear content to turn the service into a farce by using underhand

techniques, namely submitting different prices to Froogle than are displayed

on their website!


I'm not talking about the difference between ex.VAT and inc.VAT prices

– I'm talking about so-called respectable stores submitting prices

of only 5% of the actual price shown on their website.

Here at CAV we make a point of

having a no-nonsense approach with customers, we will not mislead people and

all prices are quoted inclusive of VAT. Amazon (possibly the biggest cuplrit)

however - who are surely supposed to be a reputable company – have adopted

a wholly different approach, they regularly appear at the top of the Froogle

listing under random store names that link straight to their website with completely

different pricing.


For example, a quick search for a 10

Pack of TDK CDR discs brings up a store called 'games4lessuk_zshop'

displaying the title 'TDK

CDR80DVIEW CDR 700MB 10PK' for only 59p, a bargain I think you'll

agree! But upon clicking the link, one is take to the same product (TDK

CDR80DVIEW CDR 700MB 10PK) on Amazon's site priced at over £6

or new/used from £5. What's more, the aforementioned store name

does not appear anywhere within the listing. The exact same item (TDK

CDR80DVIEW CDR 700MB 10PK) also appears under the store name '0912b177784'.


As another example, the same is also true of 'Verbatim

DVD +R Double Layer (2.4x) 8.5GB 5 Pack Jewel Case' advertised at

several pounds less than its actual price. I have concentrated on blank cds

and blank dvds here, but have previously seen products such as the new iRiver

H10 20GB listed for under £10 – although these listings appear

to have been subsequently removed.

There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour, which is in essence blatant

mis-advertising. This practice not only infuriates the customer as they cannot

find a genuine listing due to the abundance of 'fake' listings,

but makes visibility much more difficult for the honest retailers (like ourselves

at CAV) who occupy the majority of the Froogle

community. It also encourages other retailers to adopt the same techniques.

I should point out that I have only singled out Amazon in this report as an

example, I am not by any means suggesting that Amazon are the only company that

does this, there are surely plenty of others who perhaps use the same method

in a more subtle manner. I should also point out that some of the prices displayed

by Amazon on Froogle may be out-of-date prices from their 'new & used'

listings which have yet to be resubmitted to Froogle. However, this is a responsibility

the webmasters should stay on top of – if only to prevent from tarnishing

their good reputation.

Perhaps Google should also consider imposing sanctions upon advertisers who

abuse the Froogle engine, as it seems a shame to ruin something that could prove

to be so good.